Uncharted Waters
by Wicketforever
Summary: This is the sequel to "who was that crippled man?" If you have not read that story I suggest you do so before reading this one, other wise you may get confused. Anyway, happy reading and as always please read and review.
1. Chapter 1

The steam filled the room one morning as House entered the bathroom and turned to gaze into the mirror. With everything that had been going on in his life recently it was nice to have some time alone. Henry and Blythe had decided to remarry and Wilson had volunteered to throw them a wedding shower. It hadn't surprised the diagnostician that his friend had gone to such lengths, after all it was in James' nature to do that kind of thing.

Apart from the wedding, things around the hospital had returned to their usual pace and House was tired of the same old thing. He retired for a reason and it appeared that that reason hadn't changed except when it came to Cuddy.

The two had gotten very close over the last few months, their friendship had reached a peak and now it appeared that they had finally come to terms with everything that had happened in the past and were ready to move forward as friends.

As he stepped into the shower and the steam hit his face, House let his mind drift back to the time when he had just started working at Princeton Plainsboro and the pain in his leg acted as a wall between his personnel and professional lives. Now, it appeared that that wall was about to be taken down for good as Gregory House was about to make the biggest change in his adult life that would hopefully lead to a happier and healthier existence.

Rehab was one step in the right direction but, this would clinch it. This would eliminate the root of the problem allowing the diagnostician to experience a life without pain.

_Are you sure this is what you want?_

As this question was sent by his subconscious, House placed a hand over his thigh and closed his eyes a moment while giving into the emotion fighting its way through.

"it's the only way."


	2. Chapter 2

When he emerged from the bedroom, fully cleaned and wearing the usual attire, House was still absent mindedly rubbing his thigh simply because that was the only thing on his mind at the time.

Making his way into the kitchen, the diagnostician looked at the clock and saw that it was ten passed eleven which meant that Cuddy and Wilson would be around in an hour or so for lunch.

It was strange thinking of the dean of medicine as a luncheon companion especially considering how much crap they had been through over the years, of course the same could be said for Wilson. It was no secret, that from the day they met the oncologist had always been somewhat of an enabler but then again, House was the one who got him out of jail the first time.

Ah, precious irony and yet, after all that the two had seemed to find some level ground to stand on which was good but, how long could it last? That thought made House long for the sound of his inner voice better known as his conscience which had been an annoyance ever since he was a kid but had proven to be a loyal companion especially when there was nobody else around.

Limping over to the fridge, House opened the door and leaned in to get a better view of what food there was to work with. The diagnostician mentally congratulated himself for not forgetting to go shopping the night before otherwise they would have had to settle for take out and there was only so much pizza and Chinese that could be consumed in a life time.

Finding what he was looking for, House turned away from the fridge, closed the door and headed over to the counter in preparation to cook.

An hour or so later, there was a knock at the door which could have only been from one person. Unfortunately, House was still preoccupied in the kitchen so rather then move away from his work, Greg decided to yell over to his friends that the door was unlocked and encouraged them to come in the most direct way he knew how.

*************************************************************

As they entered the apartment and made themselves comfortable at the table per House's instructions, Cuddy and Wilson decided to take up where they had left off outside.

"You have to tell him."

"You're his best friend."

"You've known him longer."

"That's it? That's your argument?"

At this, Wilson blushed slightly and tried to hide his embarrassment while crossing his arms over chest while craning his neck over to one side so that he could get a better look inside the kitchen.

However, at that exact moment House had finished his work and was now carrying the culinary masterpiece over to the table with a satisfied smirk covering his face.

"Feast your eyes on the most delicious array of sight, smells and taste the world has ever seen."

"Sandwiches! They look good to me."

As Wilson reached over and tried to grab one of the prime specimens to put on his plate, he was cut off by House's hand which now held his own in a death grip.

"Not so fast pal. These are not just any sandwiches, these happen to be the best sandwiches in the world and each one is made with a secret ingredient."

"Oh really? And what would that be…love?"

At this question, House arched an eye brow and rolled his eyes while gesturing to the sandwiches.

"it's a secret! I'm not at liberty to say. Go ahead dig in."

As they ate their lunch, a comfortable silence filled the room which hadn't been there in quite sometime. In fact, this particular comfort had only become a constant between them over the last couple of weeks. As he watched his friends devour each and every bite of their meal, House had grown content with himself. True, making calzones weren't that difficult to do but Wilson had always done the cooking in the past and now House was returning the favor.

"So, what do you think?"

Exchanging a look, Wilson and Cuddy turned to face their friend with the same look covering their face and the same thought in mind.

"Incredible."

"Thank you."

"House, where'd you learn to cook like that?"

"Well, I got the recipe from Henry who got it when he was in Italy a few years back. Pretty good huh?"

The look on Wilson's face made House stop in mid rant and glare at his friend in confusion.

"What?"

"Are you alright?"

"Of course I am. Why do you…"

"Your leg."

Peering down at the injured right thigh, House only now realized he had been rubbing his leg vigorously ever since he had sat down at the table.

"Sorry, force of habit."

(Don't worry. This is going somewhere. I know you'll enjoy it. As always, thank you for reviewing and more to come soon.)


	3. Chapter 3

As the afternoon rolled on, the three made themselves comfortable in the living room but not without the constant knowledge that House had kept a firm grasp upon his thigh the entire time they were talking. Finally, the obvious got to be too much and Wilson had to say something to break the tension.

"Alright House. Come on out with it. What's going on?"

At this question, House arched an eye brow and smirked to himself while shooting a coy glance to each one of his friends.

"I could ask you the same thing."

"What?"

"Don't play dumb with me Jimmy. You and Cuddy have been starring at each other for hours. Now, either you only have eyes for her or there's something else going on that you don't want me to know about. Either way, you should tell me now before someone loses an eye."

Instead of going with her first instinct to deny these allegations, Wilson sighed to himself while having a seat next to House on the piano bench.

From her position on the couch, Cuddy eyed her two friends warily before getting up and putting on her coat.

"This is really a conversation that should be kept private. I'll see you later."

Having said this, the dean of medicine made her exit in a vein attempt to avoid taking part in the chaos that was sure to ensue in her absence. As soon as Lisa had left, House couldn't help but smirk to himself while taking the opportunity to make a joke.

"I don't think she likes us anymore."

"Or at least one of us."

Even though this comment hinted at levity the tone wasn't there. Wilson had tried to make this easy, tried to do what he had always done when it came to House. He had to be the enabler, but he just couldn't do that anymore. Now, the truth would have to come out and there was no going back.

"House-."

"This is bad isn't it?"

"Yes."

Of all times for House not be a mind reader, Wilson thought to himself. However, in this case maybe the power of perceptiveness would work in his favor? Hopefully.

"Wilson, I can't stand the silent treatment. Whatever it is that you have to say, tell me now so we can get on with our lives okay?"

It wouldn't be that easy and Wilson knew it. He only wished he didn't have to be the one to give this news especially, when it was his best friend who had to hear it. After several more minutes of silence, House was getting stir crazy so he decided to take it upon himself to ease the tension.

"Okay, I have an idea. On the count of three, we say what's on our minds, deal? It's a little childish and stupid sure, but it beats playing mind games for the next twenty minutes."

"Fine."

"Fine. 1...2...3.

"I'm going in for surgery."

"I've getting married again."

"What?"

(Another short chapter. I know, but there is a method to my madness even though you can't see it. As always please read and review and more to come soon.)


	4. Chapter 4

"_I'm going in for surgery."_

"_I'm getting married again."_

"_What?"_

There was silence for several moments following this as both House and Wilson tried to make sense of what they had just said and what they had just been told.

It was difficult for House to understand why Wilson had kept this from him. The fact that Jimmy had decided to get married again for a fifth time especially after what had happened with Amber was a step in the right direction towards a life of happiness and House was thrilled for him.

As for Wilson, the oncologist couldn't believe what House had just said. Why had it taken the diagnostician so long to come to this decision? What had changed? Upon thinking about this further, the oncologist realized that that didn't matter, what did matter was the fact that he had made this decision at all despite how long it had taken do so.

At this point, the silence between them had started to overpower the other sounds in the room and it was driving House nuts. So, the diagnostician took it upon himself to put an end to this monotony by beginning to limp slowly across the wooden floor and begin to speak.

"Congratulations Jimmy."

"What?"

"(sigh) I said, congratulations. I think this is a good thing your doing but, why you would think otherwise is beyond me."

Shrugging his shoulders at this comment, Wilson brought his hands to his face and breathed in a sigh of relief.

"It's because of Amber isn't it?"

"It's partially her and it's partially you."

Me?"

"Up until I started seeing Amber, we were always on the same side. Like Butch and Sundance, Hawkeye and Trapper…"

"Good and Evil."

Wilson couldn't help but smirk at this comment. It was typical housian behavior to deflect a serious situation with sarcasm in an attempt to push aside his own feelings but he wasn't doing that this time.

"Right"

"What makes you think that'll change?"

"It happened before."

"True"

House couldn't deny what Wilson was saying but he knew deep down that this time would be better. Why? Because this time House wouldn't do anything to jeopardize Wilson's happiness no matter how tempting it may have been in the past, he wouldn't allow himself.

"But, you know Jimmy we've come a long way since then and I'll tell you right now, I won't do anything to screw this up for you. I owe you that much."

"Thanks House."

"Don't mention it…to anyone."

At this point in the conversation, House turned his back to Wilson and limped over to the couch fully aware of the pair of eyes watching his every move. The uneven gate only reminded Wilson of what House had decided to do but he was unaware of how to approach him about it.

"House…"

"So am I ever going to meet the soon to be fifth Mrs. Wilson?"

"We're having a dinner party next Thursday night if you're interested."

"Sounds good"

Leaning his head against the comfort of the sofa, House couldn't help but smirk to himself while absent mindedly rubbing his thigh.

"It looks like we're both turning over a new leaf."

"Yeah, about that…"

Following his friend's gaze House removed his hand from his thigh and sighed to himself while pinching the bridge of his nose with thumb and fore finger.

"Go on."

"I need to know…"

"Why I'm amputating my leg? Well, technically the surgeon is going to be doing the procedure I'm just his lab rat."

"House, stop deflecting. This is a serious step."

"Yeah and hopefully it'll lead to more and more steps and then who knows? I might even be able to stand on my own two feet without the aid of this."

Holding up the wooden cane to emphasize his point, House glared at Wilson while trying to remain alert and coherent while keeping his annoyance at bay. The diagnostician hadn't expected the subject to be dropped right away but did Jimmy really have to be his usual enabling safe at a time like this? Unfortunately, the answer was undeniably…yes.

"You'll have to go through rehab and physical therapy."

"I can handle it."

"You'll have to deal with the fact that not all places are wheelchair accessible for awhile."

"I did it for a week once without a problem. Actually, the time off my feet did wonders for my back."

Wilson could see there was no convincing House that this was a mistake. In fact, the oncologist wasn't even sure it was. The only thing that worried Wilson was the idea that if anything went wrong and House had another break down or worse there would be no going back. Then, it accord to him that even now there was no going back, House had made up his mind and that was that.

"I know you're just trying to help and protect me Jimmy and I appreciate it but, this time I really wish you'd lay off and stop being a mother hen. I know what I'm doing, everything will be fine."

"Okay."

"Thank you… So, when's the wedding?"

"Four months, two weeks and 10 days."

"That would be September 10…a fall wedding, nice."


	5. Chapter 5

After Wilson left, House thought about their conversation and how true it was. The fact that they both had come to the conclusion that a life without happiness is no life at all was not as shocking as one might think. What was shocking is that it took nearly six and a half decades to get to that point.

True, the breakdown House had a few years ago had been the extenuating factor to bring him to this realization but it saddened the diagnostician how fragile he had become during that time and how hard it was to make it back to the state of normalcy he had grown accustomed to before.

As for Wilson, House had always known his friend would get married again and he was glad he had made the decision even if it had taken him five years to do so.

_Maybe he is my protégé after all. _House thought to himself while limping over to the piano. He was grateful for the solitude of his small yet spacious one bedroom apartment as the thoughts of yesterday flooded into his mind.

All of this talk of marriage, first with his parents and now with Wilson had House thinking about his own love life and relationships with women. In truth the longest relationship he had shared with a woman besides that of his mother was Cuddy.

True, he had been with Stacy for five years but his past with the dean of medicine stemmed as far back as med school when they were just students at Michigan University training to become doctors both in and out of the classroom.

_He remembered the first time he saw her, it was during the last week of classes before Spring Break his junior year and Lisa had been sitting over by a bench near the psych department reading a text book. The attraction was immediate but despite his reputation as a big man on campus Greg just couldn't find the words to say to her so, he did the next best thing…put on a front of mock sarcasm._

"_You know, sitting in the sun all day can cause wrinkles."_

"_I don't think I need to worry about that for quite sometime. Thank you very much."_

_Lifting her head to meet the gaze of whoever dared disturb her study time, Lisa was caught off guard by the appearance of her gentleman caller. He was tall, blue eyed and handsome with a smile that said so much and so little at the same time._

"_Hi, I'm Lisa Cuddy and you are?"_

_She portrayed so much confidence and strength even at the age of nineteen, which thankfully hadn't faded even after everything that had happened she had hired him._

"_Greg House."_

The sound of the ringing telephone brought House out of his day dream with such a jolt that he nearly fell off the piano bench and on to the floor. Thankfully, the cordless was only a few feet a way resting comfortably on the coffee table so it wasn't that far out of reach.

Checking the caller id a smirk covered his lips as House recognized the name and press the call button.

"Why mistress, what an unexpected but pleasant surprise."

"How did it go with Wilson?"

"Fine, mommy. You know you didn't need to worry, we're big boys now."

"Right."

As they continued to talk, Cuddy noted a certain something in House's voice that made her worried. Wilson had told her about the surgery as soon as he had left the apartment and Lisa had confided In James that it was not their place to get involved but, now she wished she hadn't.

"As much as I love these obscene phone calls I wonder if there isn't something else your not telling me?"

"No."

"Cuddy, I can hear your nervousness from here. The heavy breathing is a dead give away."

When she didn't answer right away, House knew what it was and couldn't say he was surprised. It appeared Wilson the enabler had done it again and there was nothing he could about it.

"He told you didn't he?"

Unfortunately, Cuddy couldn't stop herself from taking on the familiar role she had grown accustomed to when dealing with House at that exact moment.

"Its my job as head of the hospital to see to it that all employees and staff are taken care of and…"

"O don't give me that. This has nothing to do with your precious hospital and it has everything to do with the fact that neither one of you can keep your nose out of my personal business."

"We're just worried about you."

"I know you are, there's nothing new there. You two have always acted like my foster parents and the funny thing is, I was never even adopted."

(More to come soon. As always, thank you for reading, reviewing and enjoying my stories.)


	6. Chapter 6

"Greg dear, is everything alright? You haven't even touched your desert."

"I'm fine."

The tone and body language being sent their way, indicated to both Blythe and Henry that everything was not the way it should be with their son.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Now can we drop the subject? There are more important things to talk about. Like for example, the fact that you two are getting married in a week."

At the mere mention of their wedding both, parents exchanged a look while coming to terms with the reality in front of them.

"Yeah, about that son, there's something you should know…about the wedding…"

"There isn't going to be one."

Hearing this sent House into an utter state of shock. He couldn't move, couldn't breath it was as if someone had let the air out of his lungs and shot him with a stun gun all at the same time. Finally, after several minutes the breath returned and the color slowly came back to his face.

The words that came to him were spoken in a mere stage whisper at first as House tried to remain focused and relaxed while tearing into the two idiots he once called family.

However, before he could speak House caught a glimpse of the two of them holding hands with rings on their fingers and realized what they were saying…

"You…eloped?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes."

"When? Where? Why wasn't I invited? I am your one and only son after all."

"We know that Greg and there's a perfectly logical explanation for this."

At this comment, Henry let go of his wife's hand momentarily while reaching for an assortment of papers which were hidden inside of his breast pocket.

Handing them over so that House could see them for himself, a sadness washed over the youngest member of the family as he closed his eyes for a moment before reopening them and beginning to tear the yellow papers into shreds.

"What are you doing?!"

"Putting an end to this lunacy."

"You can't do that, Greg."

Reaching for the papers before they were turned into confetti, Henry held them out of his son's grasp while steadying his nerves and trying to make this as quick and painless as humanly possible.

"I've been ordered to go. Its my duty as an officer."

"That's ridiculous _sir_. You haven't been an active Lieutenant Colonel for nearly twenty years and besides your life is here now. How can they ask you to give that up…again."

The last word in this sentence was said In a mere whisper but, still the message was there.

"I know this isn't easy for any of you…"

"That's it isn't? You married mom prematurely so that if anything were to happen while you were on the base…"

"Nothing and I mean nothing is going to happen while I'm there."

"Then why bother going?"

At this point in the conversation, Henry had had enough and was about to turn away and head into the kitchen when he stopped in mid step and breathed in a sigh while refusing to look either his wife or his son in the eye.

"(sigh) I owe it John."

Hearing this sent chills up House's spine as he fought to keep the anger from taking over his entire persona. How could Henry feel in debt to a man who had made House's life a living hell since the day he was five? How could he do this to himself? How could he do this to Blythe? How could he do this to _him?_

"You don't owe _him anything_."

Henry could hear the hatred and resentment in House's voice a mile away. He understood his son's reasoning but in this case there was nothing that could be done. If he chose not to go he would be breaking a promise made years before during the war…_leave no man behind._

"Yes I do."

Finally, House had had enough of this stupidity and got up from the table and over to the door, while retrieving his jacket from the coat closet just a few feet away.

"Well, I can see there's nothing I can say or do that's going to make a difference so, if you'll excuse me I have somewhere I have to be."

"Where are you going?"

At this question, House stopped in mid step just as his hand had reached the handle and sighed to himself while turning around to face his parents once more before walking out.

"Anywhere but here**."**


	7. Chapter 7

(Thank you all for your kind reviews. Here is the latest chapter, enjoy.)

_Anywhere but here part 1_

As he drove down the busy city streets of New Jersey searching for anywhere to park and stretch his legs, House tried to calm himself down from the argument that he had walked away from nearly five minutes ago.

What the hell was Henry thinking? The reasons behind his father's decision to regain his position as Lieutenant Colonel flashed through Greg's mind at that point as he finally came upon the parking lot of what seemed to be a very charming café located a few feet away from where he had just come in.

Entering through the main entrance, House was glad to see that his first impression of this charming bistro had been correct. It was small yet spacious and the interior of the building seemed to be a mix between modern and Romanesque.

"Can I help you sir?"

Looking into the eyes of whomever had just interrupted his thought, House greeted the hostess with a friendly nod while gesturing over to a near by table.

"Is that seat available?"

"It certainly is, right this way."

Making their way over to the booth, the hostess handed House a menu while letting her curiosity be known.

"Will their be anyone else joining you for dinner this evening?"

"Nope. I prefer to make this a solo mission of hunger."

"Right, well, Jenny will be your server today and she should be with you shortly."

"Thank you."

Once he was left alone once again, House breathed in a sigh and looked over the menu while trying not to think about anything family related. Unfortunately, this thought was short lived as his cell began to ring which could only mean one thing. His parents had told Wilson about the argument and now the oncologist was taking over his role as acting enabler and annoying twerp.

Looking down at the caller id, House was not surprised to find that he had been right in his assumptions while pressing send.

"Can I help you?"

"Where are you?"

At this comment, House rolled his eyes and tried his best to restrain himself despite the sarcastic quips that were threatening to invade his subconscious mind and seep through to his lips.

"I'm in a very pleasant part of the country called…a world without sound. Nice place, you'd love it."

Wilson chose to ignore this comment while getting right down to business.

"I spoke to your parents…"

"Naturally…"

"Their worried about you."

"Yeah, if their so worried why did they have Jiminy cricket call me, instead of doing it themselves?"

This question was justified however, Wilson didn't know the answer. In reality, the oncologist had called the apartment to tell House about the knew developments going on in his personnel life but instead was bombarded by a hysterical Blythe who had know idea where her son had gone.

It still amazed James, how much she still treated house as if he were ten years old no matter what age he actually was.

"They didn't. I called the apartment to see if you were free for a drink and the next I know your mother won't let me off the line. Said, you've been acting strange lately and then this morning just walked out without a word. What's that about?"

House couldn't help but smirk to himself. Typical, Blythe hadn't said anything about the argument or what Henry had decided to do instead, she chose to make the situation purely about her son's behavior. Which naturally wouldn't have matter so much to Greg but now, she was completely missing the point and the reasons behind his actions.

"My dad's going back to the marines."

"What?"

"That's right. Lieutenant Colonel Greenfield with be back on duty as of o'800 this Friday night."

"What about the wedding?"

"Oh, don't worry they've already taken care of that. Apparently, Mr. and Mrs. Greenfield eloped over the weekend."

There was silence on the line as Wilson tried to find the words. He knew this had to be hard for House to deal with especially considering the surgery and all the other changes going on but, hopefully things would work out…hopefully.

"Wow."

"Yeah, wow."

"So, I take it you haven't told them about the surgery?"

"When would that have been appropriate? Before I stormed out? I can see how that would have gone…oh, by the way _dad_, while your out fighting the good fight I'll be in the hospital getting my leg chopped off. Yeah, not exactly how I would planned it out."


	8. Chapter 8

(I know I haven't updated this story in awhile it's just that a lot has taken place in my personal life….Anyway, I have recently re-read what I have written for this story so far and I have decided to continue. So, without further a do here is the long awaited chapter 8 of "Uncharted Waters" I hope you enjoy it. Wicketforever)

Anywhere But Here Part Two

When House got off the phone with Wilson in truth he was still fuming over the bomb that Henry had dropped on him only a few short hours ago. Ironic considering how many physical bombs his father would be surrounded by once he rejoined the Marines.

How could he possibly be considering this? After everything that had transpired between them recently how could Henry be so bold as to turn his back on his Mother and Son again by going back to a position that nearly ripped their family apart?

Then a realization came to House's mind that even he could not deny….Henry was doing the same thing his son had done by deciding to go back to the hospital after being retired for six years….regain some kind of normalcy.

_Damn_

Even if that were true, House sill couldn't bring himself to agree with the decision. Before this conversation could continue his cell phone rang distracting the diagnostician from the conversation with his thoughts. Looking down at the caller id, House sighed while preparing himself for the battle that was to come.

"Whatever you have to say…can it wait until I come home?."

"Oh so you are eventually going to grace us with your presence?. I was beginning to think you had fallen off the face of the earth."

House couldn't blame his mother for the annoyance in her voice but now was not the time. If there's only one thing that House had learned over the years, its that arguments could never be settled over the phone.

"Look, I'm sorry for my earlier outburst but when I get home we will hash this whole thing out."

That's when a calmness washed over Blythe as she nodded her head in agreement before complying with her son's request.

"Fine, we'll discuss it when you get here."

"I'll see you soon."

As House drove home from the diner his head was still spinning from what was going at the apartment. It wasn't like the diagnostician was uncomfortable with confrontation but this was different, this was confrontation between himself and the man he had only just recently come to know as his father. Honestly, House looked at Henry with more respect then he ever could have mustered for the tyrant who had raised him.

_Respect your elders Greg_

The message behind those simple words his mother had expressed to him years ago came flooding back with a vengeance as House pulled into the driveway of apartment 221B, dismounted from his bike and turned to face the place which held his parents who were waiting for him inside.

As much as he did respect both of his parents how could he bring himself to stand by and watch his father make a HUGE mistake? With a heavy heart, House climbed the three steps to his apartment and headed inside while mentally preparing himself for the storm that was brewing inside.

It was going to be a long night…..

(So what do you think? I know its been a long time since I updated this story but I thought I'd give it a shot to see if there was still an interest in this story. I hope you enjoy the update and as always please read and review. Wicketforever)


	9. Chapter 9

"Uncharted Waters"

Chapter Nine

When House entered the apartment his eyes immediately went to his parents who were sitting on the couch quietly talking amongst themselves completely unaware of their son who was standing in the doorway.

Smirking to himself the diagnostician deliberately tossed his cane so it hit the side of his piano perfectly, this act was of course met by two sets of angry glares.

"Well you certainly know how to announce yourself."

"it's a gift."

This moment of levity was short lived as House had a seat in a near by chair and looked up at both Henry and Blythe expectantly, with his parents looking at him with eyes filled with hurt and confusion House desperately hoped this conversation wouldn't turn into a battle of wills between young and old.

"So uh, about before…."

Before he could continue, Henry put up his hand immediately stopping House from going any further.

"There will be plenty of time for you to speak your mind my boy but I think I had better go first if you don't mind."

Nodding his head in accordance with this request House silenced himself and waited for Henry to continue. The younger House had to admit to himself that it was nice having a civil conversation with his "actual" father without fear of physical harm.

After all those years of dealing with the tyrant who was John House, Greg had to admit to himself that knowing that this man that sat before him was in fact his true blood line gave him a feeling of great relief.

"Go ahead dad."

The natural way in which House called Henry this brought a smile to the older man's face as he began to speak.

"Thank you. (sigh) Firstly let me just say that even though I do not condone your behavior during our last encounter I cannot deny that you had every right to act the way you did…I do not deny that my news came as a shock to you and for this I am truly sorry. I guess I was just trying to live by the old adage "people don't change" but that was before I came to the conclusion that change is not necessarily a bad thing. You taught me that Greg."

To say that House was shocked by this would be an understatement but it was the last thing he would admit especially to Henry.

"So, what are you saying?."

"Only that you and your mother have nothing to worry about."

"…."

"Instead of taking the position that the Marines had originally offered me I've decided to go in for early retirement. There's a nice compensation package that goes along with it and I'd still get all the benefits I would have received if I had retired a full Colonial."

Nodding his head in recognition of statement House breathed in a sigh before standing up and sending his father a curious glare.

"Are you sure this is what you want?."

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life."

There were so many things House could have said in response to this statement. After all, he had gained a reputation for being a hard ass who never respected anyone else's opinion but his own but Henry had presented his case rationally and in such a way that House could see that he knew what he was doing.

Blythe had been quite for some time and was now looking at both men with a look filled with so much emotion and love it was a wonder she hadn't burst out crying.

"Well, I'm game. What do you think mom?."

At this question Blythe simply smiled while replying "I think its nice to see both my boys back together again."


End file.
